Film Version Of 'Da Vinci Code' Isn't So Divine

DVD Review

By: Dan Gross

Posted: 11/16/06

"The Da Vinci Code," the much-hyped Ron Howard-directed film adaptation of the smash hit novel, is now out on DVD. The movie did not live up to all the hype because despite its $125 million budget and $217 million gross, it got trashed by critics, deservedly so. The DVD may still rack up lots of rentals and sales, but you the potential viewer should take all this hype with a heavy grain of salt, because "Harry Potter" this ain't. This is ultimately a clumsy, lumbering movie that goads you into keeping up with a 2½ hour history lesson, but with smatterings of Hollywood clichés, faux-suspense, quickie action sequences and attempts at sex appeal to hopefully keep you from tuning out completely. The cast includes Tom Hanks ("Forrest Gump"), Audrey Tautou ("Amelie"), Ian McKellen ("The Lord of the Rings"), Jean Reno ("Leon: The Professional"), Paul Bettany ("Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World") and Alfred Molina ("Spider-Man 2").

The plot is fairly complicated, if not convoluted.

Harvard symbologist Dr. Robert Langdon (Hanks) is summoned as a consultant to help decipher the unusual murder scene of a Louvre curator in Paris. The murderer is an extremely ascetic Catholic named Silas (Bettany), a member of a controversial and slightly masochistic Catholic society named Opus Dei. The murder motive in question is an ancient site, which supposedly contains the source of God's power on earth, or more simply, the Holy Grail. This, as it turns out, is an incendiary legend people have died for and a historic sect named the Priory of Sion was created over. This legend ensnares Langdon, the curator's cryptologist granddaughter, Sophie Neveu (Tautou) and Grail historian Sir Leigh Teabing (McKellen) throughout the course of the film, as they use the clues provided by the dead Louvre creator to find the Grail. The trio are further motivated by the relentless pursuit of Langdon by both police captain Bezu Fache (Reno), who thinks Langdon committed the Louvre murder, and Catholic archbishop Manuel Aringarosa (Molina), who is determined to extinguish the Holy Grail legend, and anyone actively pursuing it.

Sounds like an interesting plot on paper, right? Exactly. That's probably why the book sold so well and created the need for this movie. However, whatever made the book so popular and controversial seems to be missing from this movie. The script by Akiva Goldsman ("A Beautiful Mind") is so jumbled and long-winded it makes the movie less and less interesting minute by minute; many people may even fight the urge to yell, "I don't care!" at the screen from time to time. At many points, the script turns from full-on history lecture mode, to simplistic Hollywood thriller mode, then back to lecture mode over and over again, often times in a single scene. Unfortunately, the film's depictions of Catholicism fall under the Hollywood thriller aspect. The only thing that angered me, however, was the flood of history material; perhaps it should have been filtered to only the particularly relevant, interesting, zeal-inspiring stuff.

The big problem with the movie is referenced in the movie itself about 45 minutes in when Neveu confesses to Langdon, "Funny, I don't even like history," and then explains why. Needless to say, if that reasoning applies to you, and you are as far from a history major as you can possibly get, then please do not waste your time with "The Da Vinci Code."

In terms of technical aspects, the movie checks out ok.

The cinematography is by Salvatore Totino ("Cinderella Man"), the elaborate production design is respectable, as well as the stirring editing job by Dan Hanley and Mike Hill ("Apollo 13"), the epic-scaled score by Hans Zimmer ("Gladiator"), is admirable and Ron Howard did OK with his pseudo-edgy direction, but this is just another case of a well-meaning movie shot down by a bad script.

The two-disc DVD available for rental includes 10 behind the scenes featurettes that are pretty decent, despite being too brief or superficial once in a while, and definitely make up for the conspicuous lack of commentary. If you insist on renting this movie, give them a watch. Otherwise, approach it with discretion.